I Will Carry You
by Nanaki BH
Summary: [Reno Rufus] Although there is no cure for Geostigma, Reno can help Rufus cope with his insecurities.


Disclaimer: "Final Fantasy VII", "Advent Children", and all associated material belong to Square Enix. The song "I Will Carry You" belongs to Clay Aiken.

I Will Carry You

By: Nanaki BH

"Reno," he whispered. His voice, no matter how tired or weak now, still sounded just as sweet as Reno remembered it. It made him smile, thinking how long it'd taken him to get in good standings with the young president. He was a frustrating bastard.

He nodded, though he knew Rufus couldn't see him; the white cloak that was draped over him obscured his peripheral vision. How he'd even known he was in the room was a good question. It almost seemed he'd found a way to sense his presence. Bright evening sunlight covered the room. Knowing Rufus's sensitivity to the light, Reno frowned and walked from the door to the windows to close the drapes courteously for his lover. "Sorry for being late," he said.

Rufus sighed, resting back as comfortably as he could in his wheelchair. A warm hand came to rest on his knee. A whimper escaped the president's lips and the hand on his knee offered a consoling pat. "Don't worry, sir. Rude and I spoke to Cloud, remember?"

"At this point I'm not worried about getting killed by those freaks. There are people out there dying from what I have. Contrary to what I'd like to believe, I'm just a normal person. I'm like them. I could die any day without any way to stop it." His hands gripped the arms of his chair, nails digging into the underside. He could see Reno kneeling in front of him but he looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes.

Unexpectedly, the cloak was pulled back gently and Reno tilted his chin so he could look at him. Rufus blushed. He was so used to the Turk looking at him like that but since he'd been stricken with Geostigma he was ashamed to let anyone see him, even Reno. It never mattered how many times he could be told he'd be okay. Whenever they left him alone to think, he would convince himself that he wouldn't be. He might have been just imagining it, but almost every time he was built up and let down, the let down felt like it got worse and he realized that his situation was even more hopeless. Somehow though, whenever Reno showed up again, he'd slowly gain back his hope. Then it didn't matter to him if there would be another shattering let down…

It wasn't long before he found himself closing his eyes and relaxing into the kind touch on his cheek. "Don't worry, Mr. President," Reno said in kind humor, "I'm sure Cloud and his group is working quickly to find a cure. They saved the planet already. If they could keep someone like Sephiroth from killing everyone on the face of the earth, why couldn't they stop something small like Geostigma?" Rufus couldn't escape the small smirk that tugged at the edges of his lips. It was amazing how cute the Turk could be about something so utterly serious.

"Don't get cocky, Reno. That's not what I hired Cloud for; you know that. If he found a cure, that'd be a damn good added bonus and I'd definitely have to have him compensated for it." His words were quickly followed by one of the excruciating muscle spasms he so often had. He gasped and pushed himself back into the headrest. His eyes clenched tightly and his lips parted slightly to let out short, quick breaths.

An easy hand came to smooth back the golden strands that had fallen in front of his straining visage. When the pain didn't seem to leave him, Reno opened his arms and eased Rufus to the floor where he carefully lifted him into his lap. He brought his head to his shoulder, taking into consideration his bandaged neck. After a few moments, Rufus relaxed and moved as much as he could into a position to better keep the pain from returning to his aching limbs. "Sorry," he gasped. His eyes slid shut against his will, his body begging for the sleep that he refused to allow whenever Reno was around.

"It's not your fault," Reno said. "I just don't think you have very good luck. Is it hereditary?"

Rufus sighed, smiling sadly. He let his head fall to the side where he buried his face in Reno's neck, breathing in the all too familiar scent. Oh, how he missed him… "How can you stand me?" he asked.

"How could I not? You captured my interest the very moment we met… or maybe I just like being the lover of the most powerful man in the world." He soothingly rubbed Rufus's better arm, eliciting a warm purr at his neck.

Although it hurt horribly, Rufus brought up his other hand to rest over Reno's. "Don't kid me, Reno. I'm not worth the time." He bit his lip, feeling tears of frustration rise. He knew he could die any moment and he couldn't even give his lover a real hug anymore. Why should Reno have to be with a walking death sentence? Who was he kidding? "How can you live on with me when I no longer have a life of my own?"

An insistent hand forced up Rufus's chin so Reno could look at him critically. "What," he whispered, "do you want me to leave or something?"

His lips quivered. He shut his eyes tightly, horribly embarrassed of his weakness. "No."

"Then I won't. I wouldn't even if you told me you wanted me to." He hugged him loosely at his waist, not wanting to cause any more pain. "Stop getting so depressed. You don't deserve this. You wouldn't let Diamond kill you and that thing was fuckin' _huge_. Don't let something you can't even see stop you now! I don't care if a million other people die from this. You've proved to me that you can withstand death, so why are you so scared now?"

He gripped Reno's hand tighter. "Sorry again," he muttered. "I'll… be stronger, okay?"

It was the moments like this where Reno could differentiate between the Rufus he knew in the office and the Rufus he knew in his arms. He seemed so much more… _human_. He couldn't tell if it made him glad to see him acting so casual and fragile… or if it saddened him to know that one of the strongest people in the world… was only human. Rufus had his right to be frightened himself. If the biggest could fall so hard, then what hope was there for the people under them?

"Good," Reno said eventually. "Just know that I'll still be here, alright? Neither of us is going _anywhere_ until we see this thing beat."

Rufus slid down in Reno's lap a little and tucked his head under his chin. "I don't mean to be pessimistic, but what if I _do_ die; then what?"

After a pregnant moment, Rufus could have been sure Reno wasn't going to answer. Perhaps he didn't want to. He was surprised though when he finally spoke. "I guess you'd have to arrange for power to be passed." It was like he wanted to keep going but held back, afraid to say something wrong.

Yeah, he got the message. Reno'd want it, of course. If he hadn't been this close to him, he might not have though. The presidency was tough and often trying. All Turks had to do was what they were told. The president was the one figuring out all the orders. Recently, Rufus had started up a project to clean up Midgar. It'd all gone so far under; he figured he had to do _something_. Reno'd normally shown apathy for the city, but it was a different story when it came to actually _fixing_ the place he knew as his home. "Fine," he groaned, trying to sound exasperated. "You could take my place. I know that's what you were hinting at."

The Turk laughed politely. "Don't worry about it."

His eyebrows furrowed together in a charming display of confusion. "What do you mean?" He turned awkwardly in Reno's arms so could get a better look at him. Reno put his arms around him and hoisted him up so he could sit a little better in his lap. He ran a hand amiably through Rufus's pale golden hair.

"You don't have to worry because you aren't going anywhere, remember?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, closing his eyes and resting their foreheads together. "But you can't blame me for being worried."

"No, I can't, but you can't blame me for being optimistic either, right?"

Rufus paused, opening his eyes. Was it a mistake to ever become so optimistic? He'd almost died before because he was so sure of himself. Had the world finally lost all hope? No, the only good left in the world came from the optimistic people who dared to _be_ so hopeful.

He smiled… it was a real one, not just a mask to hide his pain anymore. This time he was certain. There was no doubt in his mind. Reno was right; if things were to get better, he had to wish for them to be first.

"You're right, Reno," he said. "Everything's going to be back to the way it used to be in no time. I'm sure of it."

Reno grinned, offering Rufus a playful wink. "Then it's good to have our president back."

Author's notes: I know; I'm sad it ended too. Most of that was just creative assumption. I left out any information I wasn't sure on and kept all of the stuff I could work with. Luckily, I had enough information to make a story with. I've been dying to use Wheelchair Man for the longest time. Hope you enjoyed it! Keep an eye out for "Advent Children"!


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